The publication WO 01/65559 discloses a control for reproducing digital audio data with aid of a vinyl record which is played on a conventional record player. This publication also describes a method which enables Disk Jockeys (DJs) to reproduce their music digitally stored on computers with the aid of special vinyl records (commercial name: FinalScratch). The advantage of this method is that DJs can work with the customary, robust record players in often quite cramped and poorly lit work surroundings without having to thereby control the playback of the digital piece of music via obscured computer keyboards, but be able to control them by their familiar actions on the record player.
The publication US 2001/0011497 discloses a device which controls the music playback in dependency on the rotation of a knob.
As can be seen in the application, it is only possible to control the speed and the play position of the digital playback by the vinyl record.
The disadvantage of the above described method is that it does not offer a solution to control also the selection of a musical piece from the archive stored on the hard disk or other parameters of the playback device affecting the sound. As before, the keyboard of the computer or another input device (e.g. the mouse) must be used for this purpose.
In order to overcome this limitation the present invention provides a method and a device which can be individually used and make available to the DJ various operating functions that go beyond mere playback.
The invention provides the features as defined in the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims.
In principle, the analog or digital information carrier is segmented in the described method by dividing said information carrier into various areas which can be easily accessed by basic functions of the playback device used. By selecting an area, the user determines which parameters of the attached digital playback device (computer/software) he would like to control. He controls the selected parameter by positioning the play position within the selected area. Thus, the surface of the information carrier represents a control surface.
Basically, digital information carriers and analog information carriers are to be considered.
In one embodiment of the described method, ring-shaped areas are preferably optically marked on the surface on a vinyl record (control disk). The DJ selects the parameters of the digital playback device to be controlled with the method by placing the audio receiver in one of the areas by hand. To control the selected parameter, the vinyl record or control disk is preferably moved forward and back by hand.
In a further embodiment, the ring-shaped areas are, on their part, optically divided into radial sectors. Hereby, the selected parameter of the digital playback device is not modified continuously, but only when crossing one of the optically visible radial markings.
In a further embodiment, a digital information carrier, for example an audio CD, is formatted such that the areas allocated to the parameters to be controlled are marked by track skip marks. The playback area and the parameter to be controlled with it are hereby selected by the conventional track selection keys of the playback device.
The method described here offers a solution to the problem by using the signal generated by the data carrier and the associated playback device to drive a plurality of parameters and functions of the preferably digital playback device.
If one combines this method in the case of the vinyl disk with the playback method described in the publication WO 01/65559, the advantage is that a DJ can perform the entire operation of mixing digital pieces of music with the record player. To select a new music title, he only has to place the audio receiver in the corresponding control area of the record, preferably manually turn the record back and forth within this area until the desired title is indicated and loaded and to then replace the audio receiver back into the playback part of the record to play the title. The precise manual placing of the audio receiver in specific areas of the record as well as manually turning them back and forth is part of the DJ's basic trade and thus represents an ideal input method for him.
Only one method is known from the prior art which enables Disk Jockeys to play back their music digitally stored on computers with the aid of special vinyl disks. On the other hand, the use of digital media was not disclosed. In recent years, DJing by means of CD players has also established itself parallel to the art of vinyl placement. There are well engineered devices which enable infinitely variable control of the speed, starting of marked points, the playback of audio loops as well as the so-called scratching (manually moving the playback position forward and back).
The current DJ CD-players thus represent complex playback control units to indirectly control the playback of digital audio data. The described method can thus be transferred from the vinyl disk to the digital disk.